Noblesville, Indiana’s Bryan Clauson wasted little time in establishing himself as a favorite to claim Saturday’s Sprint Car Smackdown finale by winning the inaugural event’s opener on Thursday night at the Kokomo Speedway.

Clauson started P12 in the 30-lap feature and used early race cautions to advance to the fifth spot as early as the 10th lap, while second-place starter Dave Darland dominated the early going.

A lap 12 restart saw Clauson, now a three-time winner at the facility in 2012, vault from fifth to third as he disposed of Damion Gardner for fourth and slipped under third-place Thomas Meseraull after the Hoffman No. 69 pilot bicycled his machine badly in turn four.

Clauson, locked in down low, made second-place Jerry Coons, Jr. his next victim on the 15th circuit and set sail for Darland’s P1.

It didn’t take long.

Clauson rocketed off the bottom of the fourth corner, underneath the rim-riding Darland, and into the lead at the conclusion of 17 laps. A lap 19 red-flag period for quick qualifier Daron Clayton’s vicious backstretch tumble and a 23rd-tour caution for Coons temporarily halted Clauson’s momentum, but Darland had nothing for the California native in the closing laps.

“Our car worked everywhere and we were able to slice through the field,” Clauson said post-race. “We ran the bottom, through the middle and up top, it didn’t matter. I’ve had a lot of practice the last couple of trips here to Kokomo starting at the back; the O’Connors had such a great race track tonight.”

Darland settled for second in front of Chase Stockon, Gardner and Tracy Hines.

Clayton’s 12.628-second lap bested 43 other entrants on the night in time trials. Nick Drake captured the non-qualifiers race, and heats were won by Kevin Thomas, Jr., Jon Stanbrough, Jonathon Hendrick and Chris Windom. Drake and Gardner captured the consolation races.